The Vampire Diaries' 15 Most Heart-Wrenching Moments

To say that the actors of The Vampire Diariesplay complex characters is an understatement. They have to make us believe that they are the supernatural beings that they play. They have to be evil. They have to be charming. They have to be in love. They have to want to kill. But if there’s one thing that every resident of Mystic Falls knows how to do, it’s cry.

If your life were invaded by supernatural beings (no matter how attractive they were) who threatened the life you knew and everyone you loved, you’d probably cry too. So in honor of all of the tears that have been shed in Mystic Falls (and elsewhere), we’ve rounded up our top 15 best crying moments. These were the tear-filled moments that left us speechless:

Bonnie’s Grams Dies (both times): First, she wouldn’t wake up after the tomb spell, and then the witch spirits punished her for Bonnie's (Kat Graham) use of dark magic … and both times Kat Graham made our hearts ache.

Klaus-Mikael Showdown: The showdown between Mikael and Klaus (Joseph Morgan) in Season 3 goes down as one of the most tense scenes in TVD history. And Klaus’ tears at the sight of his father and being called a coward not only shocked us, but they made us understand him just a little bit more.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Klaus Faces Off With Mikael in Season 3, Episode 9

Season 3 Finale: From Damon’s perfect four words (“You are not dead”) to Rebekah’s (Claire Holt) panic when Klaus was daggered and her reunion with Elijah (Daniel Gillies) in the woods, the tears in this episode were spot on.

Caroline is Tortured (every time): Whether she was telling Tyler (Michael Trevino) off after Brody has locked her in a cage, or she was pleading with her father to stop, or even if Alaric (Matt Davis) had her strapped to a desk, Candice Accola (Caroline Forbes) always amazed us with her painful screams and even more painful tears.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Caroline Forbes Is Tortured by Her Dad in Season 3, Episode 3

Stefan and Elena Call It Quits: Season 2. In front of the fire. Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) chin quivered. Elena held his face. We died.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Stefan Cries After Elena Breaks Up With Him in Season 2, Episode 6

“Where Were You Damon?”: After Klaus compelled Stefan to turn off his humanity and Stefan bit Elena, Damon returned to town just in time to pick Elena up (literally) from the hospital. Back at home, the emotional trauma of the day hit her, and she broke our hearts with those four words.

Damon in the Road:Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) Season 2 speech about how he misses being human more than anything in the world was one of our all-time favorite crying moments. Bravo, Mr. Somerhalder. Bravo.

Tyler’s First Full Moon: Lying on the ground after his first transformation, Tyler sobbed in Caroline’s arms as she told him he was OK. Through his tears, he responded, “No I’m not.” In that moment, we realized why Mason tried so hard to protect Tyler from his werewolf side. Life lesson: Listen to the hot uncle.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Tyler Turns Into a Werewolf For the First Time in Season 2, Episode 11

Elena Leaves With Klaus: After their day in the outdoors, Elena was forced to leave Stefan and head to her death at Klaus’ ritual. But Stefan couldn’t let her go. After a few kisses and a heartfelt I love you, he shut his eyes … and let her go.

Damon’s “I Love You”: Yet another Season 2 Damon moment, Damon’s “I love you” to Elena was only made better by the tears that filled his eyes when he kissed her forehead and compelled her to forget the entire thing.

Elena and Stefan on the Bridge: In one of the most emotional TVD scenes ever, Stefan traumatized Elena only to immediately regret it when he threatened to drive her off Wickery Bridge. The scene that followed was some of the best work Nina and Paul have done.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Elena Cries After Stefan Threatens to Drive Off the Bridge in Season 3, Episode 11

Elena Doesn’t Want to be a Vampire: When Damon forced Elena to drink his blood before the sacrifice in Season 2, she was faced with the reality of becoming a vampire. But after some fresh air and a little push from Stefan, she admitted that she never wanted to be one. She made Stefan cry. She made us cry.

Alaric Says Goodbye: Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) and Elena said goodbye first, followed by Alaric’s sit down with his best friend. Numerous hugs, countless tears and one bottle of liquor made up the perfection that was everyone’s last moment with the normal/sane Alaric.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Alaric Says Goodbye in Season 3, Episode 20

Stefan in the Season 4 Premiere: As Elena died, she told Stefan that she chose him because she loved him, and that it was the best decision she ever made. Not only were Stefan’s tears completely justified, but they were heartbreakingly perfect.

Credit:
CW
Photo: Elena Says Choosing Stefan Was "the Best Choice I Ever Made" in Season 4, Episode 1

What was your favorite tearful TVD moment?

Samantha Highfill is a contributing writer to Wetpaint Entertainment. Follow her on Twitter at@samhighfill.